Basic format to reference personal communications

The basics of an in-text entry for personal communications:

 Author (communicator).
 Year.
 Format description.
 Day.
 Month.

Example:
The Vice Chancellor's statement was confirmed during an interview (P Dawkins  2011, personal communication, 11
October).
OR
 During an interview conducted on 11 October 2011, Prof Peter Dawkins stated that …
 Please note:

 Personal Communications include private letters, memos, and emails from unachieved sources, personal
interviews, telephone conversations, and similar resources. As these sources do not provide recoverable
data, Personal Communications are not included in the Reference List.
 Cite Personal Communications in-text only.
 Details can be provided in running text or in parentheses.
 In your in-text citation of a Personal Communication give the initials as well as the surname of the
communicator, and provide as exact a date as possible.
 Note that the initials precede the family name in the parenthetical citation.
 Use your judgment in citing other electronic forms, like Twitter or SMS Texts, as Personal Communications.
Remember that what you cite should have scholarly relevance.
 Refer to Multi-media materials in this guide for an example of citing a Twitter or Facebook post.

Referencing personal communications: Examples

Material
In-Text Example Reference List Examples
Type
Email An email (JW Ayers 2018, personal communication, 2 February) You do not need to include an entry
confirming that results are accurate ...
reference list.
Interview During an interview conducted on 6 June 2018, Prof You do not need to include an entry in th
Helena Moore stated that … list if you conducted the interview.
OR
For interviews conducted by another p
The Professor’s statement was confirmed during an
using different media, please refer to t
interview (H Moore 2018, personal communication, 6
multi-media formats in this guide.
June)

Letter In a letter dated 17 May 2018, Ben Smith stated that... You do not need to include an entry
OR
reference list.
Material
In-Text Example Reference List Examples
Type
Ben Smith expressed sincere regret in his letter (B Smith 2018,
personal communication, 17 May).
 
 

Telephone During a phone interview conducted on 11 March 2018, You do not need to include an entry
Professor Sam Smith stated that...
call OR reference list.
The company president’s statement was confirmed during a
phone interview (P Clinton 2018, personal communication, 20  
February).

Citing Your Personal Communication

In a parenthetical citation, use the words "personal communication" and the exact date that
the personal communication occurred. Here is an example of a parenthetical citation of a
personal communication:
Fruity candy is much better than chocolate (J. Smith, personal communication, October 10,
2010).

When referencing the source of your personal communication in text, however, you do not
need to include the source's name in the parenthetical citation. Here is an example of an in
text citation:
J. Smith proudly stated that fruity candy is much better than chocolate (personal
communication, October 10, 2010).

Although you are required to cite personal communications whenever you are referencing
information from that source, personal communications should not be included in your
references list. Instead, when you cite a personal communication, the exact date of when
this personal communication occurred is sufficient information for the reader.